Sunday, November 01, 2015

Gifts for readers and writers. A blow becomes an opportunity.

When this
Librarian was laid off, he used the opportunity to start the business he'd
always wanted to run.

When Dan
Metcalf learned he would be made redundant from his role in public libraries,
he used the opportunity to plough all his time into creating Word Nerd Games, a
product development company with a literary bias. His first product, a playing
card deck that celebrates the library promotion campaigns of yesteryear, is now
live on Kickstarter until the 13th November. (www.libraryloverscards.com)

Dan, from
Crediton in Devon (UK), trained as a librarian and spent over ten years working
in libraries around the south west of the country. When Coalition Government
cuts forced a reorganisation at his council, he knew he might not make it
through the new round of interviews. “The cuts were brutal,” says Dan, 35. “I
had been threatened with redundancy three times before and had clung on to my
job, but I knew that this time I might not stay.” He received his redundancy
letter on Christmas Eve, 2014.

“I knew then
that I had to make the leap away from libraries and set up on my own,” says
Dan. “I enrolled with the local Business Support Service, got advice from my
local government and began to devour all the books and podcasts I could find to
start to build my business.”

“I knew what
I wanted to do. I had always sketched and designed little games and puzzles and
I wanted to take this further. I had planned to use Word Nerd Games as a way to
license toy and game ideas to companies, but when I had the idea for the
Library Lover's Playing Cards, it seemed so personal that I wanted to try and
do it myself.”

The card
deck reproduces vintage images from the 1920s to 50s, which were used to
promote libraries and reading. The Kickstarter will raise money for the first
print run.

“It's funny,
I think being made redundant was the best thing to happen to me. I love being
my own boss and making money my own way. I just want to keep producing ideas
time after time! I'm still fond of libraries, as the card deck shows. I use my
local one regularly to work from and most of the business books I read come
from there.”

“I was
lucky, really,” says Dan. “Being laid off could be my ticket to riches!”

About Me

An explanation. I'd like to change invisible granddaughter now but don't know how to.
I'd like to change Travels with Sid but see above.
We changed Sid, the motorhome, for Bill the Bailey motorhome and we are still travelling.
The LSO is the Long Suffering One - husband.
Little Sid is our swivelling heater which looks like a mini-Dalek.
Noelly is my little sunshine yellow Ka.
Dave is the car we are using while Noelly is being renovated.
I put up a new post every Sunday.